Word: pretext
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...trapped with a live grenade. Dr. Siri soon finds himself untangling a mystery involving Hmong insurgents, a possible demonic possession, and a plot by a female terrorist known as the Lizard, who plays Moriarty to his Holmes. As in the previous Dr. Siri books, the plot is mostly a pretext for a leisurely stroll through Laos' history and profoundly rooted religious traditions, and it's this that gives Pogo Stick a certain charm, even if it doesn't always satisfy as a mystery...
...Some leaders have insisted that the E.U. should not waver. French President Nicolas Sarkozy declared that the targets and timetable would be upheld, but offered "solutions" for those having trouble meeting them. "The climate package is so important that we cannot simply drop it, under the pretext of a financial crisis," he said. "If we scale back our ambitions then we count for nothing...
...Despite popular support for the ban, it has elicited plenty of popular opposition. Walking through a Riviera Beach neighborhood last week, 23-year-old Bo Brown denounced the law as a pretext for police officers to harass young men idling on street corners. Brown's jeans-shorts were worn dropped, but a large white polo shirt covered any underwear exposure, making his look legal. Pointing out the home of a friend who was cited for sagging, Brown says, "I did it, but I don't anymore. I don't want to be harassed...
...Western allies could intervene diplomatically to restrain Russia might have encouraged him in that calculation. For its part, Russia could well have sought to provoke Georgia into such a response (by urging the South Ossetians to step up attacks on Georgian positions) in order to provide them with a pretext to invade...
...lake on top of the hill, but have stopped going because of fears of mines. (There are no confirmed reports of mining in the area.) . Rumors of Russian provocations, plans to dress up as Georgian troops and attack their own positions in order to provide Moscow with a pretext to remain on the ground as "peacekeepers" are increasingly common in the capital...